ATLANTA--- Mother Nature didn't wait long to give Georgia Tech Head Coach Paul Johnson a reason to go inside their new indoor practice facility. On the second day of fall camp, the Jackets were forced indoors for over half of practice due to lightning in the area.

"We sure did [test the indoor facility]," Johnson said. "When it was lightning and the rain was coming down hard we walked 30 yards and were inside. It is a great facility and building and it has everything we need. We had tons of room and it was a big plus for us. Half of our practice we were in and half we were out. It was good and we can transition between periods."

For the last few months and the first few days of camp, Coach Johnson has praised the attitude and team chemistry the 2011 team has shown so far.

"I have been really encouraged by the way they have practiced the attitude, the enthusiasm and all that. We will see when we start playing the games. That is when it really counts," Johnson said. "As I told them after practice, I am really encouraged with what I have seen."

Unity and team are the two concepts Coach Johnson has really pushed on the 2011 team and he has seen what he is looking for through the first few practices and during summer workouts.

"I think this team genuinely likes each other and wants to get better," he said. "They seem to get along, have a great attitude and they are working hard. That is all you can ask as a coach."

Compared to 2010, the team chemistry seems better, but Coach Johnson is trying to be cautious by how excited he gets about it.

"We had good kids last year, but the chemistry just wasn't there," he said. "We will see how it goes here. You can still not play well, but right now there is a good togetherness, there is focus and the guys are hungry to play. We have guys who want to play."Deep all-around

"The only new guy at A-back is Broderick Snoddy, the rest of the guys were there in the spring. Tong Zenon, Deon Hill, B.J. Bostic and all those guys are pushing the guys who has played a lot so you have great competition," Johnson said. "I think the competition will continue at that position regardless of injuries. We have enough numbers there."

Coach Johnson lauded the incoming freshmen class that just arrived this past June for their level of talent and competitiveness.

"At most positions the competition will be pretty good. We have more depth at most than we have had. There are a few spots that are still thin, but we have a lot of good competition and a lot of the young guys are going to push. The freshman class is pretty talented," he said.